I woke up early this morning.
It wasn’t that I had another seizure last night.
Rather, I was able to fall into a deep sleep without even dreaming as I usually did. Given today’s events, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had trouble sleeping from excitement, but thinking back, it seems I didn’t stay up too late.
Lying blankly on my bed, I blinked as I stared at the ceiling. That usual drowsiness or heaviness in my body upon waking up was almost nonexistent.
A sudden chill ran down my spine, and I jolted up to check the clock—it was still only six in the morning.
The tension drained from my body. There were still two hours left until my appointment.
Besides, today, I was supposed to meet my sister directly at the subway station near the amusement park. I didn’t have to take a 40-minute subway ride like usual.
Well, my sister was right. If I traveled all the way near her place just to meet up before heading there together, it would have been a waste of our morning.
Still, even though I knew it was the more efficient choice, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
With a stretch and a slight groan, I got up. Even if I skipped my morning workout, I still did some light stretching. I knew just how much of a difference it made to my morning condition.
Come to think of it, they say the military also makes you do morning exercises. I can kind of understand why now.
By the time I finished stretching, I felt fully awake. I headed into the bathroom attached to my room and took a quick shower.
Even though I told myself I had fully adjusted to having a woman’s body, there were still moments when my reflection in the mirror felt strangely unfamiliar.
It was probably because it had only been three months since I started living in this body, after spending over twenty years in my original one. The moments when I became aware of my previous height were when the difference hit me the hardest.
Still, at least I was a little taller than my sister. That was a relief, I suppose.
After drying off, I put on fresh underwear and thoroughly dried my hair.
Having long hair really did take a long time to dry.
I had considered cutting it short for convenience, but… I was still keeping it long.
Even I wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe I just thought my reflection suited long hair better.
Or perhaps it was because my body’s curves so clearly marked me as a “woman” that I unconsciously leaned into the look.
…This wasn’t something I could casually talk about in front of my companions, no matter what.
It wasn’t about losing my identity as a man or about my gestures becoming more feminine or anything like that.
It was just… embarrassing to say out loud.
Back when I was a man, my party members used to comment on my appearance quite often.
Not about my actual looks, but about how I presented myself.
Since childhood, I had always considered spending money on appearances to be a luxury.
So naturally, my sense of fashion was terrible.
To make matters worse, in Lurelsia, nobles tended to favor vibrant, flashy colors in their clothing.
Blue, yellow, red some even wore outfits in deep green shades.
For men, wearing eye-catching colors was considered normal. There were even nobles who stubbornly insisted on wearing outfits that, by my standards, were practically neon pink.
With my already terrible fashion sense, being in another country no, another world with its own unique aesthetic sensibilities left me completely clueless about what to wear.
As a result, whenever I tried to dress myself for formal occasions, at least one of my party members would inevitably stop me.
Whether it was showing up to a ballroom event with untrimmed battlefield hair or attempting to meet the king in tattered boots, I had committed countless fashion crimes.
After being called out so many times, I had finally learned to pick out decently appropriate outfits.
But back then, I had made things quite painful for my companions.
Thinking about it now, I could only feel sorry.
“……”
Recalling my past self, I stood in front of the mirror once again and carefully checked my outfit.
A blouse that looked somewhat light and airy. Except for the well-fitted sleeves, the fabric on the arms was slightly puffy with delicate folds. The same went for the torso it wasn’t so loose that it looked oversized, but just enough to create a balanced silhouette when tucked into my pants.
I had chosen pants for the day. After all, since we were going to an amusement park, wearing a skirt didn’t seem like the best idea.
The length was a bit on the short side for the current weather, but….it wasn’t like I was going to freeze to death.
“This should be fine, right?”
Muttering to myself, I slowly spun in front of the mirror, checking my outfit.
At least to my eyes, nothing seemed off.
If there was a problem, my companions outside would probably point it out. Even though we came from another world, they all had a decent sense of fashion.
If people happened to stare at them, it was simply because they were exceptionally beautiful.
Thinking that, I opened the door and stepped out. Immediately, the delicious aroma of food filled the living room.
“Oh, you’re up.”
Dana, who had taken on the role of our main cook ever since we arrived here, greeted me.
There’s a common trope in fantasy novels where wizards are terrible at cooking, but from what I had experienced, that wasn’t true at all.
In fact, that stereotype was well-known in Lurelsia as well, so when I first tasted Dana’s cooking and was amazed, she had told me this:
“If you get even the tiniest thing wrong while mixing ingredients for potions, the whole batch is ruined, right? But with cooking, minor mistakes don’t matter as much. You can substitute ingredients, too. I don’t get why people assume wizards can’t cook. You just follow the recipe, that’s all.”
Just as she had said, she seemed to genuinely enjoy experimenting with various ingredients in this world and trying out different dishes.
I guess you could call that an occupational habit?
No maybe it was the opposite.
Perhaps it was precisely because she had that kind of personality that she became a wizard in the first place.
By the time I reached the table, I was the last to sit down.
Not that anyone had been waiting for me Dana started plating the dishes right as I took my seat.
“…Hm.”
Kalia, who had glanced at me, slightly furrowed her brows.
“Huh? What? Is something off?”
Feeling a bit uneasy at her expression, I asked. Kalia hesitated for a moment, looking like she was debating whether to say something, then let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“Well… I know it’s a bit weird to say this to you, considering you used to be a guy, but… isn’t your outfit a little too revealing for a woman’s body?”
“……”
Oh.
…Right. Now that I think about it, nobles in that world tended to cover themselves up quite a lot.
“…You’re bringing this up now?”
Fia, looking surprised, questioned Kalia.
Kalia, as if realizing how odd her own words sounded, let out a small groan before answering hesitantly.
“Back when we first arrived here, the weather was pretty warm during the day… so I just assumed that’s why you dressed that way…”
At Kalia’s barely audible explanation, Fia stared at her in disbelief before responding.
“…I didn’t realize noble ladies were that conservative.”
“It’s not about being conservative. I’m just not used to it yet.”
“Don’t worry!”
Hearing Kalia’s words, which sounded almost like an excuse, Fia looked at me and said,
“I’m one of the people closest to the goddess! As long as you’re not making people uncomfortable, it’s perfectly fine to show some skin!”
…No, actually, if it were the goddess, she’d probably say something more like what Kalia said.
I recalled the goddess’s attire, which only revealed her neck and hands. Even when I arrived here, all her outfits had been modest and neat. Well, she wouldn’t force anyone to dress a certain way, but at the very least, I knew her preferences leaned in that direction.
“Well, to be honest, I’m not that comfortable with revealing clothes either.”
As Arna, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke, Kalia turned to her with an expression as if she had just found an ally. But Arna simply shrugged and added,
“In the forest, it’s more practical to wear clothes that cover the skin.”
…Hmm, well, that makes sense.
“Aren’t elves supposed to be sexually conservative?”
Dana asked as she brought over a plate of soup.
“We just encourage premarital purity, that’s all. Also, we’re only recognized as adults once we reach 150 years old. To humans, that seems like a ridiculously long time, so it just makes us look conservative. But in terms of proportion, the time we spend maintaining purity isn’t actually any different from humans.”
Ah.
The entire dining table fell into silence.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the typical marriageable age in Irellexia around 20 to 22?